21 Productivity Ideas To GET More DONE
If you’re working from home, then your ability to get lots done and stay on
task is going to have a huge, direct impact on your lifestyle and happiness.
Finish early and you have the option to simply head downstairs, make a cup
of coffee and start relaxing! There’s no commute, no boss looking over your
shoulder, and no requirement to work set hours (so long as the work gets
done). Heck, you could even put that extra time to good use by starting a side
project, further developing your skills, etc.
Then there’s the fact that working from home can mean working in your
perfect work environment, near to the people you love, and with the freedom
to come and go as you please – or even to completely change your work
hours!
But if you don’t have the discipline and motivation to actually get work done,
then it can be a completely different story. Now you’re more likely to find the
experience highly stressful and overwhelming: you might well find yourself
with a huge list of tasks that you have no idea how to tackle. The line
between downtime and work might have become blurred, and you might be
constantly working late, forgetting to shave, and generally failing to maintain a
work-life balance.
Read on and you’ll discover 21 productivity tips, hacks, and ideas that can
make a huge difference. They have been organized into categories for your
convenience!
- Eat the Frog
Eating the frog is an expression that comes from a Mark Twain quote: “If it is
your job to eat a frog, then you should do that first thing in the morning. If it is
your job to eat two frogs, then you should eat the biggest, ugliest one first.”
What this tells us, is that it is sensible to tackle the biggest and most difficult
project first. By doing that, you make sure that you have provided the
maximum value each day, and you do the hardest work while you have the
most energy and resolve. - Kaizen
Kaizen is a Japanese term that comes from the country’s manufacturing
industry. This term refers to the process of making lots of tiny changes to a
process, in order to see a large cumulative benefit over time.
For example, if your computer currently take 5 minutes to boot up, and you
start it up twice a day, that means you’re losing 10 minutes of productive time
daily. Either you could use that time to do something else (make a call for
instance), or you could upgrade your computer. Either way, you might now
only spend 2 minutes booting up.
That’s now reduced your wasted time from 50 minutes a week (200 minutes
per month) to 14 minutes per week (56 minutes per month). That’s a gigantic
difference. Changing the order you complete tasks can have a similar impact. - The One Minute Rule
This rule states that we should always complete tasks immediately if they will
take less than one minute. This removes them from our mind, meaning that
they aren’t hanging over us and causing stress. - The 80/20 Law
The 80/20 law tells us that 80% of your yield will come from 20% of your
work. The key to being as effective as possible then, is to identify that crucial
20% that is going to result in the most profit. - Pomodoro
The Pomodoro technique is a technique that involves setting timers for when
to work and when to take a break. This structured approach ensures you get
a break (removing the urge to procrastinate) but allows you to carefully define
when and for how long. - RescueTime
RescueTime is an app that you can use in order to monitor just how much
time you spend on each task during the day. They say that “that which is
monitored, improves.” In other words, when you see where your time is
actually going, you will be given greater control over how to spend said time. - Todoist
Todoist is a to do app. This app makes it very easy to create new tasks
thanks to a powerful natural language engine: you can make the tasks by
speaking just as your normally would! It also offers a lot of integration with
other powerful apps and tools. - Apple Watch
An Apple Watch is a surprisingly powerful tool for productivity. Not only does
it allow you to get notifications on your wrist (meaning your phone can stay
firmly in your pocket), but it can even let you add todo items and more to your
wrist, making sure that they are always easily accessible. - Notion
Described by some as a “second brain,” Notion is an extremely powerful
note-taking app that lets you create web pages, tables, lists, embedded
images and videos, and MUCH more. It’s extremely flexible and easy to use,
and essentially it can adapt to however you wish to use it. - Freedom
Freedom is an app that will allow you to block specific apps and websites on
your computer. This is powerful stuff for those who find themselves distracted
by Facebook or other websites when they’re meant to be working!
Get More Done by Typing
Faster
In the digital age, a lot of what we consider 'productivity' happens on the
computer. Being productive tends to mean writing e-mails, filling in data entry
and writing copy. In all these cases, typing is our main form of 'output' and
that means we will always be limited by the speed at which we can type when
it comes to productivity.
Learn to type at the speed of thought then and in theory you could drastically
upgrade your productivity and complete a lot more work in a day. Read on
and we will look at how you can learn to type faster. - The Right Keyboard
One thing that will right away make a huge difference to your typing speed
and output (and thus offer great ROI) is the quality of keyboard you are using.
To type as fast as possible, you should look into getting a keyboard that is
comfortable such as a mechanical keyboard. While bigger keys can avoid
errors, you don't want to use a keyboard that's too big or you will end up
travelling further to reach the keys. - Finger Placement
When you next go to type, take a look at your hands to see where they lie
naturally before you start writing. Ideally you should have your thumbs on the
spacebar with your 8 fingers on A, S, D, F and J, K, L and :. Let this be a
guide but not a set-in-stone rule, as you might find this depends on the size of
your hands and of your keyboard. - Play Games
Playing games can help a lot. One of the best is 'The Typing of the Dead'
which is notable for being an actually fun computer game, rather than one of
those dull tutorial games that you'll never actually want to play. - Dvorak
If you're up for a challenge, then you might decide to try switching to Dvorak.
Dvorak is an alternate keyboard layout that is supposed to be more efficient
for writing and which is very popular with some coders and writers. It will take
a while to learn and the evidence is mixed but if the idea appeals, give it a go! - Practice
Most important of all though is to practice. And if you're looking for a
fun/convenient way to do that then you could always take up journal writing in
the evenings!
Home Office Ideas
Your office is the space where you will be doing your work. It can play a large
role in making you either more or less productive, so it is crucial to make sure
it is as conducive as possible to your productivity. - Get a Plant
A plant can have a big impact on the way an office feels because it
introduces something natural into an otherwise very unnatural environment.
Not only that, but a plant will also stimulate the release of feel good hormones
like serotonin. Among other things, these have been shown to improve
creativity by helping us to relax! - Make it Inspiring
Filling your office with things that inspire you about your own work is a
fantastic way to put yourself in a more productive and creative mindset. When
we find work inspiring, that makes it inherently motivating, such that there is
no effort involved when trying to convince ourselves to keep working on
something. - Create Work Zones
A work zone is a space within your office where you can reach everything you
need to. This term is often referred to in kitchen décor, but it makes a lot of
sense in an office too. You should be able to sit at your desk and easily reach
all the things that you need to be able to work with.
Health and Fitness
Finally, your health and fitness are crucial if you are going to be as productive
as possible while working from home. Many people allow their health to
deteriorate when they work from home, as they have no requirement to walk
or travel. Likewise, a lack of social interaction or sunlight can cause health
issues.
Making sure to stay on top of this can ensure that you have the energy,
enthusiasm, and good health to continue doing your best work. - Exercise
Exercise is extremely important for those that work from home. This can help
to undo much of the damage that is caused by sitting by a desk, and it
becomes even more pertinent if you have no commute, and no reason to get
up and walk across the room even!
Doing some form of steady state cardio – such as running, cycling, or walking
– will help you to strengthen your heart which can in turn prevent early
mortality associated with desk work. This will also help to increase your
calorie burn throughout the day (your active metabolic rate or AMR) in order
to ensure that you don’t gain unwanted weight. - Protect Your Sleep
One thing that is very important when working online is to make sure you get
enough sleep. This can be interrupted if you struggle to turn off from work
and relax, or if you work near the environment where you sleep (avoid this
wherever possible).
Getting enough sleep is crucial if you want to start the next day feeling
energized and enthusiastic. Some things you can do include making sure that
your room is as dark and quiet as possible, while also keeping it a lightly cool
temperature.
Try as well to make sure that you avoid light emitting devices (like phones) for
at least half an hour before bed. These stimulate the release of cortisol and
dampen the sleep hormone melatonin, thus making it much harder for us to
drift off to sleep.